This invention is concerned with the cutting of fabric. The apparatus and method can be used for cutting sheet materials but is primarily designed for the cutting of fabric. Sheet material such as plastics materials can readily be slit simply by a stationary blade. The cutting of fabric with fibers in various directions is more difficult since the fibers can catch onto a blade and thus be pulled interfering with the cutting action and possibly damaging the fabric. It is necessary therefore to provide regularly sharpened blades for the cutting action when cutting fabric containing fibers of this type. Generally a cutting action is effected using a disc shaped blade with a sharpened outer edge which is driven in rotation as the blade is moved across the sheet of fabric to be cut. This arrangement is relatively complex, requires relatively complex sharpening devices for maintaining the blade sharpened and also requires regular replacement of the blade since the sharpening action tends to wear the blade to a condition when it can no longer be used. The blades themselves are relatively expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,108,178 (Rosenberg) issued Feb. 15, 1938 discloses a press for pinking leather.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,585 (Frinkelstein) issued Apr. 19, 1949 discloses a cutting knife with a blade which is pressed down onto a fabric sheet to effect cutting of a curved portion of the fabric, the blade having a notch to define identification mark on the fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,572 (Comet) issued Apr. 6, 1965 discloses a device for slitting and cutting tape using a press blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,754 (Baker) issued Oct. 18, 1994 discloses a carpet seam cutter in which a sharpened blade mounted on a support base is mounted at an edge of a carpet piece and the next adjacent piece is overlapped with the first piece and then cut to butt with the first piece by hammering the carpet onto the blade edge.
None of these patents provide a device which is helpful or suitable for the cutting of fabric and to solve the problems of the re-sharpening of the disc shape knife which is necessary with previous fabric cutting devices.